Japan is the largest international market for Hawaii's visitor industry who last year made up 18 percent of all arrivals. However, due to the strengthening U.S. dollar against foreign currencies and an unstable Japanese economy, visitor spending slightly declined (-2.9%) in 2014 in $2.4 billion.

Hawaii Tourism Japan has been working on innovative ways to showcase the Hawaiian Islands to this mature market. In 2014, HTJ launched a campaign with the popular Ultraman character and partnered with top-boy band Arashi for a concert in Hawaii that brought thousands of Japanese to the state, reaching a new demographic.This year, more exciting and new programs will take place to promote Hawaii, including the launch of Shaka-chan, a mascot character that will be used to promote Hawaii and educate the Japan market about the shaka symbol or gesture and the meaning of aloha. Check out the story of Shaka-chan here.

Last year, we hit another milestone for tourism: $14.75 billion in visitor expenditures (+2.3%), $1.57 billion in state tax revenue (+2.3%) and 8.28 million visitors to the Hawaiian Islands (+1.3%). After exceeding 2014 targets and surpassing previous years' records, where is Hawaii's tourism economy headed in 2015?

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HTA recognizes the use of the 'okina ['] or glottal stop, one of the eight consonants of the (modern) Hawaiian language; and the kahakō[ā] or macron (e.g., in place names of Hawai'i such as Lāna'i). However, HTA respects the individual use of these markings for names of organizations and businesses. Due to technological limitations, this current communication may not include all Hawaiian diacritical markings.